Linguini Fini

I hadn’t ventured to Linguine Fini since it moved from the L Place. I adore it’s new location and it still has that chilled out ambiance inside that lets you totally unwind and sort of forget that you live in a city of skyscrapers.
We were in the mood for comfort food so a plate of pasta seemed like the most sensible choice. LF totally hit the spot. We ordered mozzarella sticks for starters — you can never beat warm cheese, although the salsa was a little bland in my opinion.
I followed up the starter with the LF Special of Aglio Olio and homemade sausage. It’s one of my favourite ways to eat pasta. Simple. Tasty. Garlic. Delicious. The homemade sausage gave it that extra kick to make it really special. The noodles were cooked to perfection, not too soft and with a little crunch still in them.
The staff were also splendid. Super helpful, funny and in a good mood.

Arguably the best location on Elgin Street, if you have a window table, you certainly get an eyeful of locals and expats.
The food is American style Italian with pizza being the highlighted menu item. We got the sausage pie. It was good, not great. The crust was fluffy and flavorful with a hint of olive oil. The cheese distribution was a bit haphazard. They used spicy sausage, which is not standard (American sausage pizzas feature sweet Italian sausage). This sausage tasted more like linguisa.
Service was good and the price was reasonable, but if you insist on Italian food on Elgin Street, you’ll be much happier going to Posto Pubblico.

LF is hard to evaluate. It is a typical, moderately priced restaurant within the expat bar area of Hk. Overall, the quality of the food we ordered was just so-​so, although I have to admit the homemade pasta was unique and good. The environment, (loud music, informal service) fits in with the other restaurants in the area. I wouldn’t describe LF as fine dining. There are many other amazing Italian restaurants in Hk, but the price points are much higher than LF. In other words, you get what you pay for. The service staff ignored us and it was like pulling teeth to have them give us water. The service staff also just plopped the dishes on the table, without bothering to ask which of us ordered which dish. Again, this is not that different from the other restaurants in the area. Would I go again? Probably not unless I just finished a football match with my mates and we were looking for cheap eats, acceptable to mediocre quality, and a lively atmosphere.

We had a nice lunch here, while in Hong Kong… and we sure needed something other than Asian Food! (as much as we like the Asian Food, we needed a break)
We stuck with standard pasta and sauce, and it was heaven… at least it was heaven for us.
Pasta was cooked just right (this is important!) it has to be house made, al dente! Yessss…
Pasta was not over sauced, and we both commented that it was really very good.
We saw really good Pizza being delivered to another table… It looked like NY NY on a plate.
I wish we had found Linguini Fini on our first day in Hong Kong!

The pastas are pretty good, but just be aware you may not see the ingredients listed in the description in your dish because they are «infused» pastas. This threw me off a few times and was skeptical when told those ingredients were «in the pasta» (think Zoolander looking for the files «in the computer»!). Despite my initial dismay from what I expected, the food is good. I’ve been a handful of times and sampled everything from the lunch set with antipasto buffet, pastas, and pizzas (old Posto Pubblico pizzeria) which are the closest to a proper NYC slice.
The service is sometimes slow, but attitudes are good and the new location is great for people watching as they pass up and down the escalator.

I accidentally stumbled upon this place and I’m glad I did! I had such a good dinner that I had to come back for lunch on my last day in Hong Kong. They are all about freshness and high quality foods here. Everything on the menu is mouth watering. The freshly made pastas are my favorite. I highly recommend the Papardelle Bolognese and Grilled Chicken dish but if you pick something else, you wouldn’t go wrong either. Not to mention, the ambience and drink menu is full of life too. The hours on Unilocal is wrong. They open at 11:30−3 and open again from 5 – 10:30

Eat here… and eat here now! So good. «Me so full!» — My belly, CIR 2015. Yum yum yum.

I was here for a friends farewell brunch and and they have such a great selection. I opted for the antipasto buffet which was filled with lots of goodies while some chose to share a pizza. Was told it was delicious. Also their smoothies are great and they use reusable metal straws so it’s also better for the environment. I look forward to coming back here and trying more things on their menu.

To start off, I love Italian food. So it was no surprise to me that I really want to try this place since 1) it’s Italian and 2) my friend raves about this place.
I wasn’t aware, but I used to see Linguini Fini’s logo all the time when I used to go get massages or facials in L Place. They have since moved to Elgin Street in Soho, what I’d say is a super prime spot since it’s right on Elgin and by the escalator. Perfect for people to spot the restaurant for those that live in Mid-​Levels and use the escalator to walk back up.
Finally, I got to try it yesterday with my friend from Northwestern. We were excited to try this restaurant because it was both of our first times. She ordered the truffle fungi pasta and I got the Brooklyn Special pizza (since I heard they’re known for their pizza). As an FYI, they write on the menu as well as warn you that their pizza takes 30 mins and it’s large. (Though I feel like it took less than 30 mins on the day that I was there.)
Large, it is. Gigantic, it is. I like that it’s thin crust, just like the New York style pizzas. However, to me, this pizza was just okay. It more of less lacked taste to me. It tasted better when I added red peppers on the table to add some spicy kick to it. For $ 278 (and then ~300+ after tip), that makes it at $ 40USD for the pizza that was just «OK» to me. I have a feeling other pizzas are probably the same, not bad, but lacks a bit of taste.
Ambiance? Large space, the restaurant is huge, especially for a restaurant in Soho, Hong Kong!
Verdict: I’m glad I ordered the pizza and got to try it so now I know, but I definitely do think it’s not worth the high price tag of $ 278. I’d be willing to come back and try their pasta. Maybe their pasta, to me, would be better than their pizza?

We always find the best place to eat on our last day. 18″ cheese pizza I’d put up against anything in north jersey. I’ve eaten more pizza in my lifetime than you and everyone you know has eaten. Go here and get it. We also ordered a spicy vodka sauce pasta bowl to die for. Hard to believe anything sucks here. Not cheap but not crap. Pay the lady dunce!

Linguini Fini has got a new home in Soho on Elgin Street right by the escalator! I like the décor here better than its old shop in the L Place as it is more bright and chic while airy with the open walls. It’s even got a little garden area in the back where they recycle any leftover food for use in planting herbs and tomatoes which looks a great space for a private party IMO. Helmed by Chef Vinny Lauria, the food here is casual New York Italian with a focus on farm to table and nose to tail dining — I’m told that everything is homemade and they like to use local produce whenever possible. I’ve been to Linguini Fini before and found the prices to be quite reasonable so I was looking forward to trying some of their new dishes along with classics as well.
We got here just in time for its Happy Hour special — free flow Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and chicken wings for $ 98 only! Available Monday to Friday from 5−7pm. I would have liked the wings to be juicier as they are a bit on the dry side but it’s a great deal for the price.
For those who don’t like beer (me!), they also have a wide selection of cocktails and I was recommended the Whiskey Smash ($ 68) with whiskey, citrus and mint on the rocks. I’m not a big fan of whiskey in the first place but this drink went down surprisingly well as it wasn’t strong in whiskey at all with a well-​balanced acidic flavor.
The Bronx ($ 308) — New York Style 18″ pizza with fresh mozzarella, porchetta, pepperoni and meatballs. The pizzas here are only available in one size so it’s perfect for sharing with friends! Though it’s not cooked in a special pizza oven (brick/​wood-​fired), the pizza here was still solid with a crispy crust and delicious toppings. This one is for the meat lovers out there though next time I would want to try the classic Magherita.
Fragrant Grass Infused Linguini Fini ($ 118) — one of the classic pastas here with a new twist. I was told that this used to be served with sheep’s milk cheese sauce so it can be quite pungent along with the grass infused pasta so the new and improved version uses Parmesan cheese instead. I’ve never tried the old version but I didn’t find this repelling at all — in fact it tasted quite normal and a tad dry actually.
Italian «Xiao Lung Bao» ($ 168) — pork filled agnolotti, tomato sauce, chili oil and 30 year balsamico. It was an interesting take on the classic xiao lung bao with an Italian twist and I would have loved more balsamic! Keep pouring!
Radiatore Alla Vodka ($ 148) — spicy ‘nduja laced cream sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. Obviously this reminds me of the the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka at Carbone but they actually taste quite different as the one at Carbone is more creamy and subtle while the one here has a heavier emphasis on the spiciness. If you like really spicy pasta, then this one is for you.
Baked Macheroni Carbonara ($ 188) — with sea urchin, homemade lardo, egg yolk and breadcrumbs. Hands down my favorite pasta dish of the night! Too often, I’ve seen restaurants try and fail to integrate the delicate flavors of uni into cooked dishes but I think this is the first time I’ve seen it work. The fresh and deliciously sweet uni was mixed with the rest of the pasta which ended up lending a creamy texture that typically would have been provided by eggs, so the flavors and textures were light and yet delicate.
Dry Rubbed Hanger Steak ($ 168) — with caramelized onion aioli. This was my favorite dish of the night as the hanger steak was tender yet juicy with an excellent quality for the price! I’d prefer this over the one at The Continental which costs more and doesn’t taste as great.
Grilled ½ Chicken ($ 158) — with chili, lardo and honey glaze. The mains just continue to shine as I love the honey glaze on the chicken which was moist and succulent.
Chocolate Banana Cake ($ 78) — killer combo with chocolate and banana. No words needed. Just EAT.
Caramel Apple Pie ($ 78) — I love the chunky pieces of apple used in the pie but would have liked it if the pie crust was thinner and softer.
Verdict — a great place for casual New York Italian dishes with an excellent price to value ratio.

Not the same as the old Linguini Fini in Tsuen wan. The old location used to have the best pizza in HK but it’s not the same at the new place. Prices are also really expensive because it is probably impossible for them to make a profit in this location. Really disappointing because I was hoping it would be the same.